A Strange Start to a Friendship - 4. Practice, School, and a Few Airheads

The rest of Sunday went smoothly. Cory and I went back outside after about a half hour of heavy duty kissing. After we got outside, I reminded him about tryouts and practices.

“So, the first tryout is tomorrow at 9 AM. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d rather you wait a day before coming with me. I don’t want to get nervous and screw up because you’re there.”

“Yeah, I get it. I’ll be fine for a couple days.”

“Just one. I plan on giving the coach no reason to cut me.”

“Cocky much?”

“Confident. I was a first team all-county linebacker last year. Should have been as either running back or tight end, but the coach didn’t like playing sophomores on offense, and bounced me around between those two. That and the team sucked.”

“K. Give me a call when you get home tomorrow. You can start teaching me about football by telling me how it went.”

“Of course.”

The Stones left as it was getting dark, which was fine for me. I wanted to shower and hit the sheets early so I’d be fresh in the morning for tryouts.

Monday

Isn’t there a law against getting up early during summer? I had to get up early to get ready and bike about 20 minutes to the high school for football tryouts. Hopefully, the biking part will end after Saturday. I turn 16 on Thursday and mom will be accompanying me to get my license on Saturday. If I pass, I can start driving myself. And also if the Georgia DDS recognizes my learner’s permit from Indiana. I already have an old Toyota Camry.

I get to the high school at a few minutes to 9. Most of the returning players are already there in uniform. I head over to the large group in street clothes. I quickly find out all but one of them are Freshmen. At 9:01 the coach blows his whistle.

“Gather around men. Returning players, you’ll start out with coach James. Freshmen and other tryouts, over here with me.”

The coach goes through his list of kids trying out, confirming the position they requested on their tryout form. That left me and another kid for last.

“Matthews?”

“Here coach.”

“Safety last year at your old school?”

“Yes sir.”

“Did they double up players on offense and defense?”

“Only a couple. I wasn’t lucky enough.”

“I try to use my best players as much as possible. If that means you’re a receiver and a safety, can you handle it?”

“Yes sir.”

“You must be Patterson. You’re as big as our linemen. Junior? What’s your story?”

“I was first team all-county outside linebacker. Played spot duty as running back and tight end. The coach didn’t like playing Sophomores on offense a lot.”

I put down outside linebacker as my first preference, knowing even if I started, I’d never play every down on offense.

“Anybody good enough will start at their better position and play as much as they can handle on the other side of the ball, up to around 50 or 60%. You good for that?”

“Yes sir.”

After that, he told us to grab pads and a uniform top, then broke us up by position. He moved a few of us to the opposite side to balance out the numbers. I started out as running back. After a few plays he pulled the offense together.

“Let’s try an off-tackle right to Patterson. Roy, if you break free, I want you to head straight for Mathis.”

“Sorry coach, I don’t know everybody yet. Which one is he?”

“Left side linebacker. Number 53.”

I was able to break free and headed straight toward Mathis. He shifted at the last second to come at me at a slight angle. I was moving at full speed and he just bounced off me. After I got past him, coach blew the whistle.

“What the hell was that, Mathis?”

“He’s huge coach. I feel like I got run over by a damn train.”

“Hit him head on. Same play.”

This time Mathis hit me head on, or should I say, I hit him. He was able to grab hold of me, but I dragged him about five yards before he lost his grip.

“Patterson, take Mathis’ spot. Off-tackle right to Anderson. Andy, same thing. Straight at Patterson.”

Andy was a decent sized kid, but I would have been surprised if he got through me. He didn’t. I grabbed him and pushed him back a few yards before the coach blew the whistle. The rest of practice went almost as well for me. I fumbled once when the defender grabbed hold of me by the arm, but other than that, I think I did pretty well. Coach told us all to be back at 9 tomorrow again. Nobody was cut yet, but then I didn’t expect anyone to be.

I showered after tryouts, like the rest of the team. As I always did last year, paid no attention to the other guys. I didn’t want to get caught checking them out. Especially not on day one. After I got home, I called Cory. He came over and I told him about practice. He asked a few questions, but not as many as I thought he might. We kissed a little before he had to head home. We arranged to meet in the morning at 8:30 at the corner where his development hit my street. I would have said 8:40, but I didn’t want to push him too hard.

Tuesday

A couple minutes after practice started, the coach noticed Cory on the bleachers.

“Anybody know that kid?” Pointing at Cory.

I was about to answer when another guy, Stellars, spoke up.”

“That’s Cory Stone. The faggot is probably here to check out our butts.”

A bunch of laughs followed that, but quickly died.

“Four laps around the track, in pads, Stellars, and you better be done in less than eight minutes.”

“But coach…”

“You want to try for five laps in seven and a half? Move.”

Stellars started running.

“Let that be a warning to you all. Insults and slurs will not be tolerated. Camden, go see why he’s here.”

I spoke up quicker this time.

“He came with me. He’s my friend and he wants to learn about football because I play.”

“Go get him Roy. He can learn better watching from down here with me.”

“Um. Sure thing coach.”

I run up to where Cory is.

“They want me to leave?”

“Only the guy running laps does. He called you a name and the laps are his punishment.”

“Jim Stellars, biggest jerk in my, our, grade.”

“I told coach you were my friend and wanted to learn about football. He said you can learn it better down there, with him.”

“No way.”

“Yeah. Come on, I don’t think he wants me up here long.”

I head back and Cory follows, heading toward the coach. He definitely looks a little nervous, but the coach reaches out to shake his hand. Cory settles down a little after that. After fifteen or so minutes we’re running a play for Anderson that isn’t working too well. Cory was talking to the coach for the last couple tries.

“Baines. You take a step back. Matthews, up on the line.”

Jerry Baines is the tight end, currently on the right side of the line. Matthews is wide on the other side. We run the same play, a pitch and run to the right. I’m blocking for him, but Paul Jensen, the middle linebacker was constantly getting past Baines. Backing off the line gives Jerry just enough more time to get in front of Paul. Anderson gets past for an eight yard gain. I overhear the coach.

“Smart thinking Stone.”

I’m starting to have a suspicion that Cory knows more about football than he let on. After practice, I find out that’s true.

“Did you suggest to coach Enders that Jerry should back off a bit on that play that wasn’t working?”

“Um. Yeah.”

“I thought you wanted me to teach you about football, and you didn’t know much.”

“Uh. That was before we were really friends. I was using it as a way to make sure you would stay around.”

“So you know quite a lot about it?”

“Yeah. Sorry I tricked you.”

“It’s OK. Obviously with no friends, you were trying to make one.”

“Well, I get to come to all the practices now. Well, if I get permission from my mom. Coach Enders wants me to be the team manager. The kid who did it last year graduated.”

“That’s awesome!”

“Maybe. I’m not sure all of the guys will appreciate me handing them towels coming out of the showers.”

“Just look at their eyes and you’ll be good. It’s what I do. When you’re further away, you can still see their junk, even if you’re looking them in the eyes.”

“Cool. I’ll try to remember that.”

“Eyes or not, don’t look at anyone more than a couple feet away for too long.”

“Thanks.”

Wednesday

Coach wanted a lighter day on Wednesday. There were about four or five fewer kids than yesterday. I guess coach talked to them after practice yesterday. If I remember correctly, none of them looked too impressive. Cory walked up to the school with us and helped out in the locker room. The coach wasn’t there, so Stellars and I guess one of his friends called Cory the name when I was close enough to hear.

“What, coach isn’t here so you think you can still call him names?”

“Yeah, what ya gonna do about it?”

“Nothing right now, but meet me outside the tennis courts after this and you’ll see.”

“Probably going to want to suck my dick. I bet he’s your boyfriend. Can’t believe a big nigger like you would be a fag too.”

“Be there. Or I’ll find you somewhere else.”

“I’ll be there. Don’t you pussy out.”

“Not a chance asshole.”

I met up with Cory after dressing.

“What was that about with you and Jim.”

“Oh, just him expressing his death wish. I’m meeting him outside the tennis courts. Take my phone and record it, in case I need it to prove he started the fight.”

I gave Cory my phone and the code to unlock it and we headed for our bikes.

We ride up to the tennis courts and Stellars is there with three other guys. His friend from football and two others I don’t know. The two new guys are a little bigger. I told Cory to step a few feet away.

“Four on one? I guess you wanted to make it a fairer fight.”

They obviously had their strategy planned out, because he didn’t respond to me.

“Hold him.”

The two bigger guys started coming toward me. Just as they each grabbed an arm, I hit each of them on the sides of their heads, crashing them together. They went straight down. Two down, two to go.

The next guy thought he was a ninja and started to kick me. Too slow. I grabbed his foot and flipped him over. He landed face down on the sidewalk.

“Just you and me now, asshole.”

“Me and a soon to be a bloody nigger faggot.”

He pulled out a knife.

“Big man. Needs a weapon. Well, come on.”

He stepped in closer. I faked a right and he swung the knife where he hoped my arm would be. With my left hand, I grabbed his wrist and squeezed.

“Drop it.”

He didn’t. I squeezed harder.

“Ow!! Fuck. You’re breaking my wrist.”

“Not yet. Drop it.”

“You’ll let go?”

“Yeah.”

He dropped it. I didn’t let go.

“Cheater. You said you’d let go.”

“I did. But I didn’t say when.”

I wrapped his fingers with my other hand and squeezed them. Hard enough to hurt, light enough to not break anything. Then I pushed him away. I took off my shirt, picked up the knife, closed it, and put it in my pocket. I nodded to Cory, and we got on our bikes and left.

“Why’d you take the knife?”

“Same reason I asked you to record it. Proof.”

Mom’s a lawyer, so I forwarded the video to her with an explanation.

Since it was a light practice day today, but a double session was scheduled for tomorrow, my parents decided to take me out for dinner tonight for my birthday. Other than a couple acquaintances from football, Cory and his family were the extent of my friends, do they were invited. Roger got another dose of Beth-love.

Of course, it took a google search to figure out where I wanted to go. There was what looked like a good seafood place pretty close to the house, so I had picked that. Dinner was a good time for all.

There was a surprise waiting for us when we got home. Five-O was at the house. Good thing I explained to everyone at dinner what happened that afternoon.

“Roy Patterson?”

“That’s me.”

“You’re only sixteen, correct.”

“As of tomorrow.”

“Mr. or Mrs. Patterson, one of you needs to come to the station. There have been two assault claims entered against him.”

Mom spoke up.

“I’m a lawyer. Is this in reference to an altercation this afternoon?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“That was self defense.”

“That’s for the courts to decide ma’am. He needs to come with me.”

To my dad, “I’ll go, Roy. We’re kind of new here. Can you give me the address?”

The officer gave mom a card, then put the handcuffs on me. Mom didn’t appreciate that at all.

“Is that really necessary?”

“It is.”

I guess he wasn’t going to explain why. I was escorted to the back seat. I heard mom telling dad and Roger we’d be back soon.

Next up - "The Aftermath, and In School.”